Why the Church Made the Temple Garments Video

A few weeks ago the Church released a transparent new video about temple garments, explaining the sacred, religious purpose of the clothing by comparing them to the religious clothing worn by various other religions. The video took social media by storm, largely through sharing by members with their friends, and was reported on by several major news outlets, including USA Today, The Huffington Post, and The Washington Post.

I was, at first, very surprised to see this, but as I watched the video, I felt peace and confirmation that this is right. It is good to help others understand what our temple garments mean. That they are not secret, but sacred. I believe that this video will help bring understanding and tolerance to those outside of our faith, towards members of our church. This is good.

--Tiffany Nielsen Hodson

I worked in trauma and emergency medicine for several years, and I am not of the LDS church. Once I was educated about the significance of temple garments I made a point to be as respectful as I could when I had to cut them off emergency patients. Please let hospital staff know the importance so they can show the respect due. We all want to ensure we meet the religious needs of our patients and their families. This video is great to share!

--Nancy Leferink

This made me cry. Our temple garments being presented in a beautiful and peaceful way. I have had a lot of people ask about the temple garments we wear and I had to share this on my page. Thank you.

--Laurie Christensen

But despite the overall positive reception, many members have been left a little confused or uncertain about why the Church would create a video like this. To answer this question, the Church released a statement explaining the reasoning behind the creation of the video, and the good it is anticipated to do on the web:

“Because there is little or no accurate information on this subject on the Internet the Church feels it important to provide this resource. The wearing of religious clothing reflects commitment and devotion to God. Latter-day Saints seek the same respect and sensitivity regarding our sacred clothing as shown to those of other faiths who wear religious vestments.”